Drinking and Scouts

I have donned my flame-resistant suit and pose the following:

What would you do if a Leader orders a drink? Or lights up? How would you
handle it? And would it be different if the Leader were in uniform or out?
What about other adults?

Specific case: How would you handle it if a Leader in uniform chose to drink
beer at a summer Pack event for families - in this case a minor league
baseball game?

The Leader had been to training less than 2 weeks before and I know how the
training team presents this particular module - so unless he was in the WC
he ought to have known the rules. As Committee Chairman, I was all for
marching up to him and letting him have it between the eyes. (Although I
confess subtlety is not a strong point of mine, I would not have said
anything in front of his family or the Cubs.)

For political reasons that I won't go into here, I was dissuaded from direct
action. The Cubmaster, who went to the same training session as the Leader,
said that he would speak to him. They spoke, about what I don't know, but I
assumed they spoke about the "drinking policy". But 2-3 beers later I was
more than a little angry about being held back and very concerned.
Especially since while on the sidelines waiting to perform the flag/opening
ceremony, two other Leaders asked me if BSA allowed drinking at Scout events
and I said no. I felt that I was placed in a rotten position by the
Cubmaster when I was asked to essentially ignore the behavior in one Leader
yet prohibited the same behavior in others.

I am not saying that the Leader in question was intoxicated as he did not
show any of the stereotypical signs of intoxication (and I do not have the
professional experience to judge).

After a couple of days, I asked the Cubmaster about the topics under
discussion that evening at the game. They spoke of the political situation
in the Pack but on the subject of the beers - I was told that the Leader
thought that showing the Cubs that adults can use but not abuse is a better
message to send and more "real life" than abstinence. I think that the
Cubmaster should have said point blank NO.

I have since brought up both subjects - smoking and drinking - in Committee
Meeting. But... I will never let myself be held back from what my heart
tells me to do again. Regardless of the political situation. Let the Pack
fire *me* next time. So Be It.

So what would you do?

Bernadette Moran Curry
Committee Chairman
Bernadettejohn@sprynet.com

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